Press Release

Government officials see Congress, Sept. 20-24, 2014, in Washington, D.C., as vehicle to drive more health and wellness seekers to Southeast Asia island nation.

Washington, DC, August 23, 2014 --(PR.com)-- Looking to make do on a promise to become one of the top three Asian destinations for health and wellness seekers, the Philippines Department of Tourism has been named a sponsor of the 7th World Medical Tourism & Global Healthcare Congress, Sept. 20-24, 2014, in Washington, D.C., the Medical Tourism Association® announced today.

“The Philippine Department of Tourism sees this forum as a platform to meet and negotiate, build relationships and to gain insight of the emerging trends in the medical tourism industry through face-to-face meetings and conference sessions,” said Ramon Jimenez, Philippine tourism secretary. “We perceive this as an avenue to introduce the Philippines as a medical tourism destination.”

Jimenez said the Philippines is targeting some 6.8 million foreign travelers – some two million from the wellness sector as well as 200,000 retirees seeking long-term healthcare -- this year, building on 2,433,428 who visited the sovereign island republic in Southeast Asia in 2013.

Renée-Marie Stephano, president of the Medical Tourism Association®, said medical tourism patients have long sought traditional Filipino healers for alternative medicine.

“The Philippines has a deep pool of competent physicians operating in well-staffed local hospitals like St. Luke’s Medical Center, the Medical City and Chong Hua Hospital, which have all received accreditation from the Joint Commission International, the ‘most prestigious recognition of high-quality care worldwide,” she said. “Specialty clinics in the Philippines have also been serving medical tourism patients from the United States, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia and Australia, who come for dental and eye care, plastic surgery and bariatric procedures.”

The World Medical Tourism & Global Healthcare Congress attracts some 3,000 key stakeholders – hospital administrators, doctors and clinicians, employers, government policy makers, insurance executives, facilitators, and hospitality and tourism interests – from across the globe to share their experiences and identify and solve issues that bear significantly on the industry. For a preliminary list of speakers, go to: http://www.medicaltourismcongress.com/speakers_year/2014-speakers/

The Congress agenda features the 5th Ministerial Summit, Global, the 3rd Medical Directors Summit, the 2nd Global Women’s Leadership Summit, regional and industry forums, and educational workshops included among more than 1,000 networking meetings for up to 200 qualified buyers of healthcare. Participants, sponsors and invited speakers can keep abreast of Congress updates at www.MedicalTourismCongress.com or make an impact today on the Congress networking platform at http://www2.mtcongress.com/wmtc-networking/

About the Medical Tourism Association®The Medical Tourism Association® is the first membership-based international nonprofit trade organization for the medical tourism and healthcare industry made up of top international hospitals, healthcare providers, medical travel facilitators, insurance companies, and other affiliates committed to promoting the highest level of quality healthcare to patients in a global environment. www.MedicalTourismAssociation.com